WHEN in the last months of 1648 was signed the great peace which brought to an end the Thirty Years' War and with it the mediaeval polity which it finally destroyed; as the army of diplomats whose work it was dispersed to their respective governments, the awe-inspiring mass of documents which formed the fruit of their long labors might have led men to believe that Europe would hasten to enjoy the peace which she so needed and which her people for the most part so greatly desired. But whate...

WHEN in the last months of 1648 was signed the great peace which brought to an end the Thirty Years' War and with it the mediaeval polity which it finally destroyed; as the army of diplomats whose work it was dispersed to their respective governments, the awe-inspiring mass of documents which formed the fruit of their long labors might have led men to believe that Europe would hasten to enjoy the peace which she so needed and which her people for the most part so greatly desired. But whate...

In "Colonel Thomas Blood, Crown-stealer, 1618-1680," Wilbur Cortez Abbott delves into the life of one of history's most notorious figures, revealing the complex interplay of ambition, intrigue, and rebellion that characterized the late Stuart era. Abbott's meticulous research and engaging narrative style provide readers with both a vivid historical account and an exploration of Blood's audacious exploits, including his infamous attempt to steal the Crown Jewels of England. The book situate...

A comprehensive look at over half a millennia of Dutch history, including some of the Netherlands' most important kings, queens, politicians and wars.

The last duke of the ancient Capetian house of Burgundy dying in 1361 without heirs male, the duchy fell into the possession of the French crown, and was by King John II bestowed upon his youngest son, Philip the Hardy, Duke of Touraine, as a reward, it is said, for the valour he displayed in the battle of Poictiers. The county of Burgundy, generally known as Franche-Comté, was not included in this donation, for it was an imperial fief; and it fell by inheritance in the female line to Marg...

London MacMillan and Co., Ltd. New York: The MacMillan Co. 1896

The publisher's special commentary chapter and the author's biography are included in this version.The Story of Mankind was written and illustrated by Hendrik Willem van Loon, an American professor, author, and journalist. This book was the first to again the Newbery Medal for its remarkable contribution to children’s literature.The Story of Mankind tells the history of Western civilization, which begins with primitive man, covering the development of writing, art, and archi...

By far one of the greatest history books ever written, James Robinson’s classic of Western European history is an absolute must-read for anyone seeking a greater understanding of the power struggles and armed conflicts that formed the Europe, and the world, of today.Spanning over a thousand years, from the stunning fall of the western Roman Empire to the rise of the German industrial/military empire on the eve of World War I, Robinson weaves a beautiful, easy to read historical nar...

Illustration: THE COLONIES OF NORTH AMERICA at the Declaration of Independence

Five hundred years ago a European could search in vain the map of "the world" for America, or Australia, or the Pacific Ocean. Experienced mariners, and even learned geographers, were quite unaware that beyond the Western Sea lay two great continents peopled by red men; of Africa they knew only the northern coast; and in respect of Asia a thousand absurd tales passed current. The unexplored waste of waters that constituted the Atlantic Ocean was, to many ignorant Europeans of the fifteenth...

IT is now necessary to take up the history of the two great republics of the Western Mediterranean, Rome and Carthage, and to tell how Rome succeeded in maintaining for some centuries an empire even greater than that achieved by the conquests of Alexander. But this new empire was, as we shall try to make clear, a political structure differing very profoundly in its nature from any of the great Oriental empires that had preceded it. Great changes in the texture of human society and in the c...

When, in 1792, the Austrian and Prussian armies had advanced toward Paris with the object of freeing Louis XVI from the restrictions placed upon him by the National Assembly, the French, roused to fury, had deposed and executed a ruler who was convicted of plotting with foreign powers to maintain his authority. In 1814 the allies placed on the throne the brother of Louis XVI, a veteran emigre, who had openly derided the Revolution and had been intriguing with other European powers for near...